Thursday 9th September
Today I set out from Beatty towards Death Valley. It wasn't far.
Before long I was driving over the hill at
The landscape is dramatic, but it's not as dead as you might imagine. There are various kinds of trees and shrubs. It is very hot and dry, though; my car's thermometer read 107 degrees Farenheit.
I arrived at the visitor centre in time for an introductory slide show. There really is a lot to see and do in Death Valley, if I had more time I could have spent a few days there exploring Scotty's Castle, ghost mining towns and all manner of natural wonders. I had intended to continue South to Dante's View, which is 5475 feet above sea level and overlooks the lowest point in the valley -- in the whole USA in fact -- but talking to one of the rangers I learnt that all the roads South of Furnace Creek were closed. Back in August there had been a flash flood that covered many roads with mud and destroyed cars, buldings and other roads. The ranger showed me photos of the destruction, it would take a while to repair.
I spent some time looking around the exhibits at the visitor centre. There was information about the various plant and animal life there. What water there is in the valley is salty, and different plants prefer different concentrations of salt, so it is possible to tell how salty the water is in a particular place from the plants that live there. I was also intrigued to learn that golden eagles nest in the cliffs around the valley, but I didn't spot any. There was information on the 49ers, a group of families who took a shortcut through the valley but couldn't get their wagons out. They sent out scouts to look for a way out but after several days of walking one of the scouts died. Other scouts returned and everyone else escaped the valley.
I too escaped the valley, westwards along route 190. I stopped off in the tiny town of Stovepipe Wells to get a bite to eat, and was astonished by all the black crows that hung around scrounging food. As I continued West the landscape became harsh and rugged, the road became narrow, steep and twisty, and I was reminded of the time I spent driving in Norway through a very similar but much colder landscape.
Once I reached the 395 I turned South, and after an hour or so West onto the 178 to drive around to Sequioa National Park. The road once again became narrow and twisty as it followed the course of a river through forrest hills.
I ended up in Bakersfield at about half past six and was feeling tired so I checked in to the California Inn, a motel with huge rooms. Bakersfield is a sizeable town -- it's about the first normal town I've been to on this trip, the others being either huge or tiny or Las Vegas!
Relaxing in my room I managed to catch the premier of Friends spin-off Joey on NBC. It looks promising, I'll have to try and catch the next episode next week.